I think the whole scratch the disc in a strategic spot is a really bad idea. I can't help but wonder what would happen if your prevention of copying of the disc causes the thing to be unplayable on some ones computer, DVD player, Blu-Ray player, etc and they found out that it was because of the scratch or something else you did to keep them from copying the disc but it also kept them from playing what they paid for on whatever equipment they wanted to play it on. I bet that would makes for a very interesting law suite.

Copyright law is very specific about the protections it allows you. For example if you don't register the copyright for a show/disc, etc. you can't take the copier to court, you have to register it to be able to do that. You can threaten all you like but you can get money for their actions without registering the copyright.

As far as I know copyright doesn't allow you to sabotage the disc, etc. making it unusable on certain equipment in order to protect your copyright.

Frankly, you are wasting your time and fighting a loosing battle. Your best bet is to do all of the following...

1) Register the copyright for every disc you make. This will enable you to go to court to recoup damages. This does cost money so either be prepared to suck it up or add it to the cost of the project and make the client pay for it. However, do yourself a favor and make sure you are only copyrighting what you have a right to copyright. Trying to copyright someone elses art, photos, etc. will get you in to a world of legal hurt.2) Have every client sign a contract that spells out exactly what they are getting for the money and what the can and can not do with the final show and disc. Make sure to include that any copies of the disc will need to be purchased from you for $'s and that copying of the disc for any reason is strictly forbidden and will be met with legal action. Don't be surprised however, when clients run the other way. I for one would never do business with someone that did this. If I pay $500 for a show I am doing so expecting to own it and to be able to copy it all I want. You aren't a Hollywood studio and honestly you aren't even providing the bulk of the images in the show.3) Put labels on the disc as well as in the production that makes it clear that copying of the disc for any reason is a violation of your copyrights and that it will be met with legal action. This needs to be at the beginning of the show, not the end. If they never get to the end of the show to see it you are going to have a harder time winning in court.4) Find yourself a good lawyer. You will need them go after all of these people copying the discs.

bellzerr wrote:By the way... are you putting a copyright notice on your shows? If not, I believe you're casting your shows out into the public domain where making copies is perfectly permissible. Mark

It isn't really permissible, but it's pretty much impossible to litigate. Even with copyright notices, folks don't normally have the funds required to sue, and so the copiers get away with it. Probably in a lot of cases, those doing the copying don't even know that what they're doing is wrong. After all, a huge number of people don't know it's illegal to copy a music CD they've purchased at the store, and those CD's always have a copyright notice on them.

That was exactly my point. I had hoped by pointing out how pointless this battle was that the OP would just give it up and do contracts and pricing to assume that the client is going to do the copying. Copyright really only benefits the large companies. For the rest of us it is far to expensive, complex and hard to enforce.

My philosophy is not to put anything online that I don't want stolen. This is one reason why I don't have photo galleries online.

As for the OP I hate to say it but her attitude comes across as petty, greedy and money hungry. If you can't charge enough for the project itself that you feel you have to try all of this stuff (pointless stuff) in order to break even then maybe this is the wrong hobby, job, career choice.

As a consumer I would look at the cost ($500 or so for the show) and think the OP has a lot of nerve expecting to milk me for even more money for making copies of something that not only did I already pay for, but consists of 90% my own copyrighted works (my photos.) I would run the other way.

When I do memorial shows, i.e. family shows for people. They usually want 6-10 DVDs of the show.I usually only charge $10 per extra DVD. The thing about the people around here is they are not bright enough on the computer to even figure out ,or know how, to COPY a DVD.

They just come back to me and I make them a few more copies if needed.Usually "normal" folks are not going to buy a bunch of DVDs, and a program or whatever to copy them with.ARE THEY

Hunny, that was a good one. Laughed my a_ _ off. But you are right for most people. Most folks have a computer just for e-mail, web and social networking and that's all they know how to do. I have found that when people want more copies they also want the custom printed graphics on the DVD and custom labeled DVD case which I include with all my shows.

I respectfully disagree. A common law copyright attaches to your work at the time it is published. While I would always add a copyright notice to my work, the lack of one will not affect the common law copyright.

duglas50 wrote:Hunny, that was a good one. Laughed my a_ _ off. But you are right for most people. Most folks have a computer just for e-mail, web and social networking and that's all they know how to do. I have found that when people want more copies they also want the custom printed graphics on the DVD and custom labeled DVD case which I include with all my shows.

Doug

Not true !!! They also use it to collect Viruses (viri?) and other assorted pieces of malware since they don't bother to have any firewall or antivirus (because they "don't visit those sites" ).